Martial Arts Champion Running for President of Ireland Becomes Public Focus

The new session of the Irish presidential election is about to kick off. Martial arts champion Conor McGregor announced this month that he will run for president in this year’s election, aiming to combat the large influx of illegal immigrants. This stance sharply contrasts with the authorities’ more lenient approach towards immigration issues. The announcement immediately sparked criticism and heated discussions, making the largely ceremonial presidential election without executive powers a public focus.

Recently, martial artist Conor McGregor has announced his candidacy for the presidency, becoming the center of media attention. McGregor’s current political agenda mainly focuses on immigration issues. For instance, on March 23, he stated on social media that excessive illegal immigration has exacerbated Ireland’s housing and healthcare crises, leading to an increase in people living on the streets.

“If there isn’t appropriate infrastructure, services, and checks, anything on a big scale is bound to crumble, and we are now witnessing this firsthand,” McGregor said. “For the survival of Ireland, we must immediately stop and reverse this trend. I am here to do just that.”

McGregor, a former UFC double weight champion, topped the Forbes 2021 list of the world’s highest-earning athletes.

Despite McGregor’s promises to take action on immigration, the Irish president’s powers are largely symbolic. The president typically serves as a representative in diplomatic matters, conducts state visits, or hosts visiting foreign heads of state. While the president’s speech is unrestricted, formal speeches to parliament or the nation require government approval.

The president can dissolve the lower house of parliament based on the prime minister’s recommendation or appoint a prime minister nominated by the lower house. Bills passed by both houses of parliament must also be submitted to the president and signed before becoming law.

The constitution stipulates that a president may be removed from office. One scenario is if five or more Supreme Court judges determine that the president has permanently lost the ability to perform their duties, or if either house of parliament votes to impeach the president for “misconduct.” However, to date, no president has been removed from office.

As Ireland’s highest official, each presidential term lasts for seven years, two years longer than the prime minister’s term, with a limit of two terms. According to the constitution, elections must be held within 60 days before the president’s term expires.

Incumbent President Michael D. Higgins was sworn in on November 11, 2011, and was re-elected in 2018. This means the election must be held before November 11, 2025.

If the president resigns, or any unforeseen circumstances, such as resignation or death, result in a vacancy in the highest office, an election must begin within 60 days. There has been a precedent for this, such as the seventh president, Mary Robinson, who resigned suddenly in September 1997, three months before the end of her term. Robinson, Ireland’s first female president, had high domestic approval ratings at the time and resigned to take up the position of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Subsequently, a presidential commission composed of the Chief Justice, Speaker of the Lower House, and Speaker of the Senate temporarily assumed the presidential duties until a new president was sworn in two months later.

Erskine Childers was the only president to die in office. Childers became president in June 1973 but passed away in November the following year.

To run for president, one must be an Irish citizen and at least 35 years old. Once these criteria are met, campaigning among lawmakers can begin. A candidate can officially register by obtaining nominations from 20 members of parliament or four local councilors.

Meeting these conditions is not easy. For example, in 2004, none of the candidates, including former European Parliament member Dana Rosemary Scallon, received enough nominations from lawmakers, resulting in the automatic cancellation of the scheduled October election, allowing then-President Mary McAleese an easy re-election.

It is worth noting that unlike campaigning for lawmakers, presidential campaigns cannot exceed 750,000 euros, and all expenses are monitored by the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO).

Irish citizens aged 18 and above are eligible to vote. The voting method follows the same PR-STV model unique to Ireland as with parliamentary elections. Under this system, candidates who surpass the minimum quota of votes required for election are deemed elected, and the surplus votes are transferred based on voter preferences to other candidates. This voting system, known in full as the “Proportional Representation by the Single Transferable Vote in Multi-Member Constituencies” system, was originally developed in the UK and is still used by very few countries today, such as the Mediterranean country of Malta.

The long-established ruling party, Fianna Fáil, has yet to announce any campaign strategies or potential candidates. Fianna Fáil has not nominated a candidate for over twenty years.

However, the co-ruling Fine Gael party is certain to participate in the presidential election. Party leader Simon Harris told local media that an internal meeting will be held soon to finalize the party’s nomination process.

After consecutive defeats in parliamentary elections, Sinn Féin also aims to overturn the situation in the upcoming presidential election. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has confirmed she will not run for president but acknowledges that the party is discussing the matter.

Several minority parties in parliament are considering forming alliances and jointly nominating a candidate to ensure they receive support from 20 lawmakers. Incumbent President Higgins was the candidate fielded by the Labour party in 2011.

Apart from politicians, there are also candidates from other industries. Entrepreneur Peter Casey was one of the first to announce his presidential bid. Casey, aged 67, garnered a 23% approval rating in the 2018 election, ranking second.